WATERVILLE, Maine - At a statewide symposium on civility in politics held by the Maine Council of Churches, former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell denounced the incivility of this year’s campaigns and called for a return to principled discourse.
With more than 500 congregations across the state the Maine Council of Churches has made promoting civility in public discourse a priority this year. The Council pointed to Governor Paul LePage’s inflammatory comments about race and racial profiling earlier this year, and his use of profanity in the voice-mail message he left for Westbrook Representative Drew Gattine as examples of incivility.
And then there’s the current presidential campaign. For that the Council turned to Senator Mitchell to address the raucous and often inflammatory rhetoric in the race. Mitchell told the group that US history has plenty of examples of negative campaigns with harsh rhetoric, outrageous charges and threats of violence.
“Politics have always been rough and tumble in our country,” Mitchell said. “In the early years, duels were common.”“
And most, he says, were the result of political disputes. But Mitchell told the group that in the 1800’s news traveled slowly, and that relatively few people actually heard speeches. There were no cable TV news networks carrying dozens of speeches live filling a constant need for news – and there was no social media like Twitter and Facebook amplifying statements to an even wider audience.
“What is happening now is different,” says Mitchell. “The effect is deeper, it is longer lasting and it is much more negative.”“
Mitchell says there are many examples this year of the use of vulgar, inflammatory, and sometimes profane language that has damaged the fabric of American political discussion.
“When a candidate for President of the United States addressing a large crowd at an event covered on national television used the ‘F’ word to criticize adversaries, a line was crossed,” Mitchell said.
He says candidates should be able to disagree on issues without trading insults – as he did when serving in the United States Senate. And Mitchell rejected the often heard argument that those using blunt language are just using “straight talk” that the voters appreciate.
Says Mitchell, “This argument is based on an erroneous belief that being a straight talker somehow justifies or permits or is evidenced by the public use of vulgar, inflammatory and insulting words.”
The Council has been inviting all candidates for statewide office to sign a Civil Discourse Covenant, an agreement to treat each other with respect, refrain from personal attacks, refuse to make untrue statements, and value honesty, truth and civility. They have urged Governor LePage to sign this covenant.
